Most horns on automobiles and trucks employ pressure activated switches located either in the center of the steering column or at some other location within the interior region of a steering wheel. In order to activate conventional horn devices, an operator must remove his or her hand from the steering wheel in order to engage the pressure-activated switch. Some drivers are reluctant to remove their hands from the wheel, especially in a dangerous driving situation where it may be desirable to sound the horn. Removing a hand from the steering wheel may diminish the optimal control of the vehicle during a hazardous situation and could actually exacerbate an already dangerous driving condition. For example, in the event a car is drifting into a driver's lane on a high speed expressway, a driver may optimally want to simultaneously sound the horn to communicate the problem to the errant driver and undertake evasive steering maneuvers.
In view of this problem, some automobiles have located horn switches near the annular periphery of the wheel, such as on a rim located circumferentially inside the wheel. Other designs have provided a pressure-activated switch near the circumference of the wheel on the radial arms connecting the wheel to the steering column or central axis upon which the wheel is mounted. At these locations, the horn switch can be manipulated by the thumbs or fingers, depending on the location of the drivers hands on the wheel, without removing the hands from the steering wheel. Although these alternatives allow the simultaneous manipulation of both the wheel and the horn, full control over the wheel is compromised when the horn is activated. Any horn location which diminishes an operator's optimal control over the vehicle by reducing the control over the wheel, and particularly in situations where a severe or sudden turn of the wheel is required, is undesirable. Moving the horn from a central location of the steering wheel has other disadvantages because in the event of an emergency, many drivers impulsively or instinctively hit the center of the wheel to activate the horn. Moving the horn from the center of the steering column may result in the driver experiencing some difficulty in locating the horn, particularly when the driver is unfamiliar with the vehicle. Although many auto manufactures locate the horn activation switch on the steering wheel, the exact location differs depending on the particular model or make of the automobile. The incorporation of air bags has further influenced and limited the location of the horn on an automobile, requiring the horn to be moved from the center position.